Cubs Talk...

- Reuters article thinks the sale of the Cubs could drag past May. As long as it does not drag past June I am not worried. I love how the team is now but if a guy like Doc Halladay or Peavy are available at the deadline you pick them up!

- The Cubs are still waiting to hear from Mike Lamb. According to a Cub officials the Cubs have offered Mike Lamb a minor league contract. The Cubs have also been in contact with free agents Wily Mo Pena and Javier Valentin as they would serve as depth in AAA Iowa in case Soto, Hill, or an outfielder goes on the DL.

- MLBTR has a list of mid season trade candidates. Here they are-

Jake Peavy
Roy Halladay
Erik Bedard (looking great so far)
Rick Ankiel
Adam LaRoche
Miguel Tejada
Adrian Beltre
Matt Holliday
Jermaine Dye
Brian Giles
Aubrey Huff
Kevin Millwood
Magglio Ordonez
Vernon Wells
Dan Uggla

The players in red are on my short list of players that I think the Cubs will target. The green players are targeted players if an injury occurs with a player being out for a long period of time.

- Jake Peavy rumors will not die until he is a Cub. Here is some links and highlights from the past week on Peavy going to the Cubs-

****Rosenthal said, "Jake Peavy would be the best possible alternative for the Cubs."
****Sun-Times said, "And until Jake Peavy shows up for this team, the Harden spot, Marshall spot and empty spots behind them will be concerns."
****Buster Olney also commented on Peavy"it feels like it's only a matter of time before he winds up in a Cubs' uniform."

- News again on the injury front both good and bad. Bradley is out for 3 to 5 days with that strained right groin, they target him coming back Friday against the Cards. In good news both Aram and Soto are expected to be in the starting lineup Wednesday.

That is it for now Cub fans!!!!

Soto Still Out, Fukudome Making Me Look Bad

- Geo will be out the rest of this series in Milwaukee and maybe the next series depending on how he rehabs. The Cubs luckily have caught lighting in a bottle with Koyie Hill, who has proved how good he really is as a backup. Even though Lou said they will have to come up with a decision by Sunday because they cannot just carry just one catcher. If Lou does indeed put Soto on the DL he could call up Jake Fox, who came up as a catcher. He could also go with Mark Johnson or Chris Robinson. My pick would be to bring up prospect Welington Castillo. The Cubs could showcase him as a trading chip to scouts and plus he would be a better defensive and offensive option than Fox, Johnson, or Robinson.

- Fukudome is looking good and by doing that making me look bad. I have been saying most of the off season that the Cubs should have traded Fukudome for Matthews Jr. I am sure glad they did not. Fukudome is on fire batting .421 with 2 homers, 3RBI, and one stolen base. Thanks for making me eat crow Fukudome! I got to say I love this team just as it is, for right now anyways.

More to Come.....

Cubs Lose, Soto out, more talk....

- The Cubs lost yesterday in extra innings but that was not a big blow compared to Soto leaving the game with shoulder discomfort. He left the game after a throw down to 2nd base causing him some shoulder discomfort. He is likely to be out for only a couple games as a precautionary procedure. Soto said this also happened in Spring and if he keeps up on his exercises he should be fine and will not happen again for the rest of the year. Soto even said he could play today if it was an emergency. Koyie Hill will get the start the next couple of games. I think the Cubs will be fine with him behind the plate.

- Former Cub Chad Gaudin is getting some interest since the Cubs released him. The Padres and Rockies have both contacted him.

- The Cubs are still considering signing Dallas McPherson and Mike Lamb to minor league deals in case Aram goes down for an extended time during the year.

- According to multiple reports the Cubs will have "significant flexibility" in payroll to add a player or two at the deadline if needed.

That is all for now, Go Cubs!!!!!

Opening Day Thoughts- CUBS WIN!

The Cubs won their Opening Day game yesterday in Houston. It was a game full of good offense, OK defense, and good pitching. Zambrano went 6 innings of 5 hit one ER baseball with 6 punch outs. The players of the game were Aram and Soriano with big homeruns and Hoffpauir with an insurance run late in the game.

I also want to say how good Heilman looked by using just one pitch to get a double play ball. Yes, he did surrender one run that was charged to Z but he threw a great pitch, it just was an awkward unusual hit to get that run acrossed.

My one big disappointment in the game was Fukudome. This guy has to be one of the most frustrating things for the Cubs and their fans to watch. He does well in the WBC for Japan (and in Japan in general) and does nothing for the Cubs in Spring Training or on Opening Day. Lee did not get a hit either but at least he hit the ball hard when he was up. If this 0 -4 stuff keeps happening do not be surprised it Hendry starts to shop him and Johnson and Gathright get more time in CF. I still think the Cubs should see if the Angels would trade Matthews for Fukudome with the Cubs paying about 3 million of his contract.

The great news is the CUBS WIN!

Shark To Iowa, Gaudin Gone...

- The Cubs have released Chad Gaudin today and optioned Jeff Samardzija to AAA Iowa. This giving the final two spots to Angel Guzman and Rule 5 pickup David Patton. Gaudin has had an awful Spring allowing 19 ER in just under 17 innings of work. He did so bad that the Cubs could not even deal him for a PTBNL. I think they should have placed him on waivers instead of out right releasing him. It is nice to see Angel staying put in the pen and Patton winning the final place in the pen. The Cubs have a great mix in their bullpen this season and expect Jeff to not be in Iowa for long, especially if anyone goes down with an injury or falters early.

- The Mariners could be having a fire sale in July and I expect the Cubs to be buyers especially if Ichiro or Bedard get placed on the block. Another guy would be Jose Lopez, but I am not sure where he would play if Fonty has a good season like I think he will.

- By the way Cub fans, do not look at the recent games in New York as a sign of things to come. It was basically a Spring game and the Cubs pitching and bats are better than that. I do think the new Yankee Stadium is quite beautiful.

- The Cubs also released Esteban German on Friday, his time as a Cubs was just a little bit longer than Bill White's.

Cubs Opening Game Monday!

Peavy Again???

- The Cubs just can't shake this guy! Buster Olney said today that the Cubs were "much closer than anybody realized at the time" talking about acquiring Jake this winter.

- Towers said he may want to get another starter and may look at Gaudin or Guzman to fit the bill. Although Angels has come out and said he wants to stay with the Cubs.

That is it for a slow day!

Gaudin Out?? Mike Lamb In?

- It seems that Chad Gaudin is gaining interest around baseball. He is owed 2 million and they Cubs would gladly take a PTBNL for Gaudin if the club acquiring him would take on most of the 2 million owed. Teams like the Rockies, Tigers, Pirates, and Padres all have interest in the righty. Even though the Rockies have said to be "cooled" on him recently.

- The Cubs have interest in signing Mike Lamb to a minor league deal for added insurance if Aram goes down. The Cubs have Jake Fox and Bobby Scales as good backups but they could use a veteran presence in Iowa at 3rd base. I much rather them sign Morgan Ensberg or Dallas McPherson. I think Dallas could have a similar comeback much like Josh Hamilton had.


That is it for now!

Padres and TIgers Eye Pitching.

- The Padres are looking for a late inning, hard throwing reliever for cheap. The Cubs currently have Angel Guzman available so that could intrigue the Padres. Guzman is out of options and is likely to be traded before Sunday if Gaudin is not traded, put on waivers, or released first.

- Another team that is in the need for big league pitching is the Tigers. Right now the Tigers and Cards are discussing a Ryan Raburn trade where the D would get a pitching prospect. In addition to that they need a big league pitcher who is very versatile. According to Jon Paul Morosi the Tigers have tabs on Chad Gaudin but do not like the 2 million owed to him.

- Chad Fox will start the year in Iowa according to may reports.

- Lou said yesterday that the Cubs would not put any of the pitchers on waivers. Lou's said "There will either be a trade or an option--anything but waivers." I could see the Cubs placing Guzman or Gaudin on the DL to start the year if a trade has not been reached by Sunday.

That is it for now, more to come!

Here and There...

- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has some predictions for 2009 and says that Peavy and Halladay will be traded this year. I rather the Cubs go after Halladay than Peavy to be honest.

- Jim Hendry has called the Angels recently to discuss a possible trade according to sources. The players are unknown but the Cubs may be trying to trade Gaudin or Guzman to other teams so that could be why he is calling the Angels. The other idea, that I recently came up with in regards to the Angels, is that they want to move Matthews. I purposed a Matthews for Fukudome swap, maybe Hendry is taking my advice??

- According to Paul Sullivan the Cubs want to sort out their pen arms and in a hurry. The Cubs have rule 5 pick David Patton, out of options pitchers Guzman and Gaudin, and Iowa bound Shark all fighting for two pen spots. The Cubs are trying to find takers for Angel and Chad so they can make room for Spring stud Patton. Angel is a better sell because of the upside and also because Gaudin is owed 2 million. They will likely make a decision by this weekend.

Cubs send Bako and Stanton Packing

- The Cubs released catcher Paul Bako (who has had a good Spring hitting .364 with a .400 OBP) and Mike Stanton ( who struggled this Spring). This means that the Cubs will have Koyie Hill as their backup. They made the right decision on the closer and backup catcher.

- Bruce Miles says that the Cubs are getting "some trade feelers" for Chad Gaudin and Angel Guzman. The Cubs need to move one if not both so they can keep David Patton on the ML roster! I am hearing that the Padres, A's, Reds, Pirates, Royals, Tigers, Marlins, Rockies, and Giants all have some interest in Gaudin or Guzman.

- The Rays have just released Morgan Ensberg. I could see the Cubs inking him to a minor league deal for depth in AAA Iowa.

- Former first round pick of the Cubs, Mark Pawelek, has been released after failing to get past high A ball.